# xkcd: Randall Munroe finally running out of ideas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528 "2014-05-29T03:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/1 "2014-05-29T03:04:03Z")
[Not](http://www.xkcd.com/1371/) [his](http://www.xkcd.com/1372/) [best](http://www.xkcd.com/1373/) [work.](http://www.xkcd.com/1374/) _xkcd_ has had some very, very cool ideas in the past. Lately, however, the strips are neither funny nor insightful. It’s extremely difficult to be funny and/or insightful every other day for years, but is it time for him to call it quits? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/2 "2014-05-29T03:21:31Z")
I don’t get the first one… Isn’t that how they observe exoplanets? The second and third links didn’t work; there wasn’t anything to see. The fourth link…heh. I thought that was kinda funny. It’s a cute play on the vastly overused cliché “urn” from years and years and years of probability classes. We never seemed to draw “goats from pens” or “cars from parking towers” but always “balls from urns.” (Look on the bright side: he might have made just as weak a joke about balls…) ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/3 "2014-05-29T03:29:16Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I don’t get the first one… Isn’t that how they observe exoplanets? I think the joke is that the planet they’re “observing” is Earth: the lack of light is nighttime, hence the caption. It’s actually pretty good in theory, but I also was really confused for a minute, which reduces the humor impact. In regards to the OP: Yeah, I’d say xkcd’s “golden age” is behind it. But the new comics get me to crack a smile once in a while, so I’m still checking up on the site fairly often. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/4 "2014-05-29T03:39:36Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > In regards to the OP: Yeah, I’d say xkcd’s “golden age” is behind it. I can’t agree (or rather, I don’t think the evidence supports the theory)–xkcd’s best comic to date was “Time”, which was #1190–he’s only up to #1374. Second-best was “Click and Drag” at #1110. Both are within the most recent 20% of strips. Maybe there’s a lull because he’s working on something hugely ambitious. Also, the delayed reaction from the first one is precisely the form of basic gag strip that I like most. The intellectual payoff is very satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/5 "2014-05-29T03:40:29Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I don’t get the first one… Isn’t that how they observe exoplanets? > > The second and third links didn’t work; there wasn’t anything to see. > > The fourth link…heh. I thought that was kinda funny. It’s a cute play on the vastly overused cliché “urn” from years and years and years of probability classes. We never seemed to draw “goats from pens” or “cars from parking towers” but always “balls from urns.” > > (Look on the bright side: he might have made just as weak a joke about balls…) #1: It is. The astronomer is looking toward Sol, which is being occulted by Earth. #2 and #3 worked for me; they’re “Smartwatches” and “Screenshot”, the ones between “Brightness” and “Urn”. On the typical A to F scale, I’d give those an A-, C+, B-, and B. As a control group, I hit random four times. I just realized that breaks your Back button, so I can’t link to them easily\*, but they were CMB plot with “Science: It works, bitches”, something about resolutions, the tech support cheat sheet, and “[Wrong Superhero](http://xkcd.com/1012/)”. A-, C-, A, and A-. So, I guess it’s below average? Still worthy of continuation for me. \*I’m on a tablet and Kings-Blackhawks is starting 2OT. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/6 "2014-05-29T03:45:40Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I don’t get the first one… Isn’t that how they observe exoplanets? The astronomer is observing that the sun’s light is being blocked by something and concludes there is a planet in orbit around the sun. The joke is that while this can be a legitimate way to discover planets in other star systems, there are much more obvious ways to find a planet when you’re standing on it. I thought it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/7 "2014-05-29T04:01:21Z")
Call it quits?! He’s drawing stick figures joined with a brilliant comedy on topics that range from theoretical physics, mathmatics, astronomy, philosophy and ball pits. Start a thread on Marmaduke. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/8 "2014-05-29T04:20:10Z")
If you quote me, please put those cool little [fuckup] brackets around where I misspelled words. Or just fix it…but still quote me. signed - SDMB edit window victim. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/9 "2014-05-29T04:48:19Z")
> [@Flander](#): > > Call it quits?! He’s drawing stick figures joined with a brilliant comedy on topics that range from theoretical physics, mathmatics, astronomy, philosophy and ball pits. > > Start a thread on Marmaduke. You forgot romance. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/10 "2014-05-29T05:21:11Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > You forgot romance. I did. And I certainly should have included it. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/11 "2014-05-29T07:25:46Z")
During the leadup to time, the comics were pretty bad too. I’m guessing he’s working on something. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/12 "2014-05-30T02:36:41Z")
I don’t normally laugh out loud at xkcd, but the exoplanet one made me. The urn is maybe a bit of a stretch, but hey - what else do you keep in 'em? I always thought xkcd was fairly insulated against being stuck in the basement due to the subject matter always having new topics. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/13 "2014-05-30T13:33:10Z")
Yeah, I too thought the exoplanet one was hilarious. And when a series, any series, has over a thousand installments, it’s always going to feel like its best days are past: There have always been many mediocre ones with a few gems mixed in, but you only remember the gems, so it feels like they used to all be gems. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/14 "2014-05-30T15:29:08Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > I don’t normally laugh out loud at xkcd, but the exoplanet one made me. The urn is maybe a bit of a stretch, but hey - what else do you keep in 'em? The urn one is great! If you are a statistician or have studied probability theory. Urn problems are so well known in probability that it is often said that there are only three known kinds of urns: Funeral, Grecian, or statistical. Hence the “sampling with replacement” joke in the mouseover. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/15 "2014-05-30T15:56:28Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I can’t agree (or rather, I don’t think the evidence supports the theory)–xkcd’s best comic to date was “Time”, which was #1190–he’s only up to #1374. Second-best was “Click and Drag” at #1110. Both are within the most recent 20% of strips. Maybe there’s a lull because he’s working on something hugely ambitious. > > Also, the delayed reaction from the first one is precisely the form of basic gag strip that I like most. The intellectual payoff is very satisfying. If xkcd did more things like “time” and “click and drag” I would probably stop reading it. I found those two to be interesting only if you go to a different web page where someone has converted it in to a more easily viewed format. Once they are in that more easily viewed format they are interesting more for the giant scale than anything being said in the comic. His big comics like the gravity well one or the depth of the oceans and various man made holes are much more interesting to me. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/16 "2014-05-30T16:07:05Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > The urn one is great! If you are a statistician or have studied probability theory. Urn problems are so well known in probability that it is often said that there are only three known kinds of urns: Funeral, Grecian, or statistical. Hence the “sampling with replacement” joke in the mouseover. The mouseover made me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/17 "2014-05-30T18:34:02Z")
> [@Flander](#): > > Call it quits?! He’s drawing stick figures joined with a brilliant comedy on topics that range from theoretical physics, mathmatics, astronomy, philosophy and ball pits. > > Start a thread on Marmaduke. But when was the last time he had an on-point remark about any of those? I haven’t seen a romance comic in forever, philosophy isn’t near as prevalent as it used to be, his wordplay has practically completely disappeared. It seems to be more on the Mitch Hedberg school of jokes where you jsut fire off one-liners instead of the Seinfeld school of comedy with observation and inferrance ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/18 "2014-05-30T18:59:30Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I can’t agree (or rather, I don’t think the evidence supports the theory)–xkcd’s best comic to date was “Time”, which was #1190–he’s only up to #1374. Second-best was “Click and Drag” at #1110. Wow, I disagree with you completely. Both of the ones you cited rely on gimmicks, rather than insight. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/19 "2014-05-30T19:52:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yeah, I too thought the exoplanet one was hilarious. And when a series, any series, has over a thousand installments, it’s always going to feel like its best days are past: There have always been many mediocre ones with a few gems mixed in, but you only remember the gems, so it feels like they used to all be gems. Bingo. I found them all funny, except the flip phone one, but I give him a pass because I don’t expect anyone – not even xkcd or Einstein – to be brilliant, unique, and funny every day. I remember that Saturday Night Live was amazingly funny back in the late 70’s. But I remember noticing at the time that I’d have to watch three episodes to get one really good one. The really good ones are the ones we remember, and judge everything by. I mean, c’mon, Stevie Wonder: what have you done since Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life? Really! As an amateur musician, this “remembering the best” can be troublesome. Whenever I record a part, I want it to be representative of the best I can do. Yet, what I “remember” as the best is actually an amalgam of the best I’ve ever played each phrase, each passage. Unfortunately, I can never string all of those bests together, so my recordings are almost always disappointing in at least some respects. (Yeah, I even cheat by recording a part 4 times and selecting the best take for each phrase. Better but still not as good as I_think_ I can do!) xkcd has had so many truly brilliant and funny posts that he’s entitled to a string of a hundred mediocre ones before I even start to get worried. I wish I could do anything as clever or amusing as his worst. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528/20 "2014-05-30T19:56:18Z")
There was one somewhere around the 800s where the punchline was basically “haha, your parents had sex.” That was when I moved on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-randall-munroe-finally-running-out-of-ideas/689528.md?page=2)